Coffee: A Love Story
by elven-girl10
Summary: Cagalli is a university student, working in a Coffee shop. What happens when her old boyfriend from junior high comes in? Does romance bloom yet again? AthrunCagalli.
1. Chapter 1

_From the Desk of Elvengirl10:_

Your basic Athrun/Cagalli AU fanfiction. Inspired by an idea my friend and I had one idle day on a dog-walk.

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Seed.

* * *

Desperate times often called for desperate measures.

Cagalli Yula Atha could attest to that statement all to well, for she was in a desperate time. She was coming to the end of her first year of University and was rather quickly approaching bankruptcy. She needed a part time job. To last her to the end of the semester at the very least.

Right now she was sitting in a job interview, and was still rather bewildered at how she had gotten there. She had bee walking around downtown and came across a small coffee shop not to far from the university campus. A sign saying "HELP REALLY NEEDED" hung in the window. Felling slightly drawn to the empty shop, and driven to find a job somewhere (as she hadn't heard back from anywhere else) she went in.

When she walked in, she was greeted by a young man with short blond hair. It was an energetic greeting, and he was positively ecstatic when Cagalli told him that she wanted a job.

"So Cagalli, do you have any medical concerns I should be aware of?" said Mu, to give the manager a name.

"Well, I am allergic to coffee…" Cagalli said, looking rather embarrassed.

Mu blinked.

"Is that so? If you drink it or…" he trailed off.

"Usually when I drink it, however I do get a slight rash if some splashes on me."

"I see. We'll just have to make sure that doesn't happen."

"So I'm hired?"

"Yes. Despite your allergies, I think you'll do just fine."

"Thank you so much!" Cagalli said, almost wanting to hug Mu for hiring her. "When can I start?"

"Tomorrow, if at all possible."

Cagalli's schedule was a lenient one. She came after her classes were over until they closed at seven and usually worked all day Saturday. She soon learnt that she was one of three employees. The others being Mu, the manager, and Andrew, who was often in the back discovering new blends. The small shop had a moderate amount of customers. Usually students who were desperate for coffee after a boring class and could wait to go a couple more blocks to the newer store.

Saturdays were the most boring and Cagalli usually took the time to catch up on homework or reading.

* * *

Cagalli twirled her pencil in annoyance, trying to determine the answer to a particularly difficult question. A loud shouting match was occurring outside the store, preventing her from concentrating.

"Yzak, we're going to be late. Can't you wait another few blocks?"

"After that? No! I need coffee now! I need to calm down!"

"And coffee's going to help you do that?"

Cagalli froze. She recognized those voices. They belonged to her old friends, Athrun Zala, Yzak Joule, and Dearka Elsman, She would know them everywhere, even though it had been ages ago. Junior high at least.

Sure enough it was them. All three walked in looking rather flustered. Yzak practically ran to the counter.

"A large coffee!" He demanded. That was Yzak, always in a hurry.

"Right away," Cagalli said. "That will be four dollars."

Yzak began to fish through his wallet for some change. Cagalli went over to the machine.

"Miss, we are in a bit of a hurry," said Athrun, looking at his watch. Cagalli nodded, her cheeks flushing. He didn't even recognize her, and hadn't they been dating at the end of junior high?

She turned with the full cup just as Yzak slammed the change on the counter. Cagalli jumped, and tripped forward. Most of the coffee ended up on Athrun's suit. Some ended up on Cagalli's hands. It didn't take long for her to start feeling an itch.

"I am so sorry," she said, realizing what had happened.

"It's alright. These things happen," Athrun said, clearly holding back his anger. Cagalli rushed forward with some paper towels.

"Cagalli?"

"Yes?"

"It is you," Dearka said, rather surprised. "I thought so. I can't believe it. It's been ages."

"Cagalli? As in the girl we hung out with in junior high?" Yzak said, "The girl Athrun was dating?"

Athrun looked at Cagalli, who looked back. Both were unsure of what to do?

"Can I get you another coffee?" she said, sheepishly.

* * *

I don't really know where it's going. I don't even know if I'll continue. Either way, I hope you enjoyed it. Constructive Criticism and Reveiws welcome. Flames, not so much.

Thanks for reading.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Gundam Seed.

* * *

Athrun Zala was confused.

A few minutes ago, he had been on his way to a meeting with Dearka and Yzak. Now he was sitting across the table from a girl he had not seen since the end of junior high with a coffee stain on his suit.

It was almost laughable. This whole situation put him in mind of their first meeting. They had collided in the hallway, both of them rushing to class. As he recalled, one of Cagalli's textbooks had collided with his chest.

* * *

Cagalli was also confused.

She honestly never expected to see Athrun again. He had gone to a private high school. She, to a public one. They hadn't so much broken up as grown apart due to lack of communication.

She looked at Athrun, surprised that he hadn't changed all that much. Neither had Yzak and Dearka for that matter. She wanted to break the awkward silence that had descended upon them, to turn the clock back to junior high, where the laughter had come easily. But first, she wanted to get rid of the growing itch on her hands.

"Cagalli, are you alright? You look like you're in pain," said Dearka, taking a sip of his drink.

"I'm fine, really. I just got some coffee on my hands," Cagalli replied, willing away the pain.

"So, you still have that coffee allergy then?" Yzak said with a smile. Cagalli's odd allergy had always been a source of amusement to him. He enjoyed teasing her about it. Cagalli nodded, standing up. She had to get something cold on her hands, at least to take away the itch for a moment. She looked at her hands, almost in horror. They were covered in red blotches. Athrun winced. They looked painful.

Just as she was walking towards the sink, Mu was walking out of the kitchen. He smiled at Cagalli, and then paused. He looked at her, and then at her hands, and then back at her.

"That is not a slight rash," he said.

* * *

And that is how Cagalli and Athrun came to be standing out on the street in front of a drugstore. After seeing the rash, Mu had acted rather quickly, saying that Cagalli could take the rest of the day off. He had then, after learning about what had happened with Athrun, charged him with the duty of getting Cagalli to the drugstore to get some calamine lotion for her hands. Yzak and Dearka had left, admittedly smirking, saying that they had other errands to attend to. Athrun looked like he was going to kill them. When there was no chance of them coming back, Athrun turned back to Cagalli and they stared at each other awkwardly.

"I guess we should get something for your hands, huh?" Athrun said, finally, "They look painful."

"You have no idea," said Cagalli, heading into the store. It didn't take long them to find the calamine lotion, and soon made their way to the check-out. Cagalli grimaced as she tried to fish a few coins out of her wallet. The rashes were making it hard for her to even move her hands. Athrun sighed, taking the wallet from her.

"Cagalli, I don't think you have enough," he said, emptying as much of wallet as he could. The coins didn't add up and there were no bills.

"Huh? Oh, it's fine then. I'll just put something on it when I get home," Cagalli said, "Huh? Athrun, what are you doing?"

"I'm paying for it. Don't worry about it. I have enough money, and you need this stuff. I don't want to see your hands twitching anymore," he replied, smiling.

"Fine, but I'm paying you back," Cagalli said. She could do stuff on her own. Athrun didn't need to care for her. Besides, they weren't in a relationship or anything.

"I told you, you don't have to," Athrun said, heading out of the store. Cagalli followed, rather annoyed.

"Well, I'm going to anyway. You don't have to look after me, Athrun! I can take care of myself," she yelled when they were out of the store. Athrun laughed.

"You haven't changed, you know that?" he said. "You've always been like this, Cagalli. Can't you accept a little charity every once in a while. It wasn't even that much."

Cagalli glared at him, and then lunged at the bag with the lotion on it. Athrun held it above his head. Cagalli scowled. He was taller than her, so getting it back that was impossible. Almost. Cagalli made several more jumps, and then hit him in the stomach. Athrun doubled over, not expecting the attack. Cagalli reached for the bag, but Athrun swung it away.

"Look, I'll give it to you if you promise not to pay me back," He said, standing up. She could still hit, that was certain.

Cagalli's scowl got worse.

"Fine," she said finally, holding out her hand. Athrun handed her the lotion, and she sat down on a bench to apply it. Relief was almost instantaneous.

"Feeling better?" Athrun asked, sitting beside her. Cagalli nodded.

"Thanks," she said, looking away.

"Your welcome," Athrun replied, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Something's wrong. I can tell. What is it?"

"It's just…weird. I mean, we haven't seen each other for years. Since High school started. And yet, here we are, acting as if nothing's changed," Cagalli said, looking down at the ground. Athrun nodded.

"Funny how that works, huh?" He said. He felt the same way. And it was even odder for him. He had just been thinking about Cagalli, after being approached by a few girls that he knew. Cagalli would never stand for the fact that it had taken almost five minutes for one girl to get her point across.

"Yeah," Cagalli agreed, glancing over at Athrun. She wished that he would put his arm around her, like he used to do, when they were going out and she was going through a tough time. But he made no motion to do so.

"Guess you should head home," he said, standing up, "Can I at least walk you there?" He held out a hand to her.

"Alright. That's fine," Cagalli replied, taking the hand. Athrun paused.

"Where do you live now, anyway?"

Cagalli shook her head.

"It's this way. Follow me."

* * *

On the way home, they began to catch up, discussing high school and various other incidents. Cagalli made a mental note to seriously injure her brother, Kira, who had apparently been keeping touch with Athrun without telling her. She learned about Dearka's romantic exploits, and Yzak's lack of them. It was finally starting to feel like the years were falling away, and they were back to being in Junior high. Laughing, joking, and arguing about their favorite TV shows. This was how things were.

"So, you're living in residence?" Athrun asked, looking up at the building.

"Yeah," Cagalli replied, "It's kind of small, but it's better than some of the other buildings."

Athrun smiled at her. So typical of Cagalli, to be living on her own.

"Are you on your own?"

"Well, I have a roommate. Lacus Cline, you remember her. She and Kira hooked up a few years back."

"Ah yes, I heard about that. Much drama surrounded that as I recall. Who was that other girl…"

"Flay? Yeah, it was pretty crazy. I was almost close to calling the police one time it got so bad," Cagalli said with a laugh.

"The police? You've got to be joking," Athrun said. Cagalli just smiled, and never gave an answer.

"Cagalli! Welcome home!" came a voice. Both Athrun and Cagalli looked to see a tall, blue-haired man coming towards them.

"Yuna? What are you doing here?" Cagalli asked. Athrun blinked.

"I was in town, so I came to see you. I tried to find you at your new job, but the manager said you'd gone home," Yuna explained, wrapping Cagalli in a bear hug.

"I see," Cagalli replied, forcing him away. She looked at Athrun apologetically.

"Who's this?" Yuna asked, looking at Athrun.

"Oh…uh…this is my friend, Athrun Zala. We were friends in Junior high, and were catching up after a chance reunion. Athrun, this is Yuna Roma Seiran, he's the son of one of my dad's friends, and so we're kind of childhood friends."

Athrun and Yuna shook hands tersely. The moment seemed tense.

"Nice to meet you," Athrun said. "I guess I better get going. I'll see you later, Cagalli." He turned to leave.

"Wait, Athrun," Cagalli said, "I'll be able to see you again, right?" She hadn't really wanted him to go, but she hadn't counted on Yuna either. And she'd need all her energy to deal with him.

"Sure. I'll come by your work again. For a proper cup of coffee," Athrun replied with a wave.

"Right. I won't spill it next time," Cagalli laughed, looking back at Yuna. He looked hurt, like something had offended him. "Something wrong, Yuna?"

"Oh no," Yuna replied, "Shall we head back to your room?" He emphasized the we.

"Sure," Cagalli said, a little more subdued. She looked back, but couldn't see Athrun anymore. She put her hands in her pockets, finding the bottle of calamine lotion. Hard to believe that that had happened only a few hours ago.

"Cagalli!"

"I'm coming."

'You better come back, Athrun,' she thought.

* * *

**A/N: **Due to an unexpected support, I have decided to continue this story. I have never recieved 21 reviews for one chapter before, so thanks to all who reviewed. Don't be afraid to be more critical in your reviews. I love constructive criticism. So...um...yeah, that's about all I have to say, really. Don't know when you can expect the next update. Whenever I finish the chapter really...hopefully I'll be able to get another one up before my break runs out. Have a Happy Holiday season, regardless of what you celebrate.

Same review speel as last chapter.


	3. Chapter 3

Cagalli sighed, as she closed the door.

That was exhausting. She had almost forgotten how wearying it was to be around Yuna for long periods of time. She leaned against the door for a moment, and then wandered over to the pantry. A brief look told her that she needed to go shopping, and her attention turned towards the TV. Maybe now was the time for a really violent video game to vent most of her feelings.

"Everything alright, Cagalli?" asked Lacus, coming out of her room.

"Lacus? You were here?" Cagalli replied in amazement. Lacus smiled, her blue eyes flashing in amusement.

"Of course I was. Where else would I be on a Saturday afternoon with your brother out of town," she returned, heading towards the pantry.

"We need to go snack food shopping," Cagalli said, stopping Lacus from completing her mission, "Anyways, why didn't you greet me? I needed all the help I could get. Yuna was here."

"I know. That's why I didn't come out. You know that we don't get along," she replied, "Besides, I was on the phone with Meer and couldn't really hang up."

"Oh? Does that mean that the duet's a go?" Cagalli asked, changing the subject. She didn't really want to talk about Yuna right now. Lacus nodded.

"Looks like it. We'll probably get together during the week to rehearse. I'm excited," she said, absently playing with her pink hair. For some time now, there had been discussion between Lacus and a friend from high school, Meer Campbell, about doing a duet, as both were gaining notoriety as singers.

"That's really great to hear," Cagalli said, flipping through her games, "I'm looking forward to hearing it."

"Is something the matter?" Lacus asked, after a brief period of silence.

"No. Why do you ask?" Cagalli replied, starting up her game.

"Because you're playing a violent video game. You never play those unless you're upset," Lacus answered. Cagalli looked away, annoyed. Lacus grinned. She was right on the mark. "Well."

"That whole thing with Yuna really got to me. He was acting really weird. A lot more demanding than normal," Cagalli said finally.

"And why's that?"



"Well, he did see me with another guy."

"Really? Who is this other guy?" Lacus's face lit up. It wasn't usual that Cagalli mentioned men in her life.

"Athrun. Athrun Zala. You remember him, from junior high."

"Oh yes, of course," Lacus replied, having had a small crush on him way back when. Before she had met Kira. "How did you run into him?"

"A chance meeting. He came into my work with Yzak and Dearka."

"Wow, sounds like a little reunion."

"It was."

Another silence fell, and all that could be heard was the sounds coming from the TV. Lacus winced at a particularly loud scream.

"And what happened?"

"Not much. We just talked, but…it was like nothing had changed really. We were still just the same idiots we always were."

Lacus nodded, coming to sit down beside Cagalli.

"You still like him, don't you?"

"Yes!" Cagalli admitted without hesitation. "And…and I don't know what to say to him about it. I don't know how to bring it up. I was just so happy to see him again."

"I'm sure he feels the same way. If you want, we can get Kira to talk to him," Lacus suggested. Cagalli shook her head.

"I think I want to talk to him one more time," she replied. She wanted to find out for herself, and didn't want her younger brother interfering. That was the last thing she needed. She would do this her way.

* * *

Cagalli wandered into work the next day full of mixed emotions. She wasn't really sure if Athrun was going to show up or not, and if he did, what was he going to say. She checked in briefly with Mu, who was in the back with Andrew and another man that she didn't recognize, and then took 

her customary position at the till, with a textbook in hand. She could hear the three guys in the back discussing something, but what she wasn't sure. She heard the words "six" and "viper" being thrown around, but nothing to vague. Finally, they vacated the kitchen.

"Thanks for the coffee, Andrew. I'll let you know how it goes," said the man that Cagalli didn't know. He had shoulder length blond hair, and blue eyes. He looked almost similar to Mu, so Cagalli assumed that they were related.

"Please do. Say hi to Natarle for me," Andrew replied, grinning.

"Natarle? Whoa, whoa, whoa, Rau, when did this happen?" Mu asked, looking a bit annoyed.

"About two weeks ago," Rau replied with a shrug. "This will be our second date."

"And you didn't tell me. How'd you meet?"

"Through an argument over whether or not Adama is a cylon," Rau replied, in a matter of fact voice. Mu shrugged.

"I want to meet her."

"You will. See you guys later." Rau walked out of the store, giving a small nod to Cagalli as she left. Cagalli nodded back, and raised a hand in farewell.

"Friend of yours?" she asked Mu. Mu nodded.

"Relative, actually. Thought I'm not really sure how. Anyways, can I get you to pull in a few more hours this coming week? You're on Reading Week, right?"

"Yeah. I think I can manage it. Business is starting to pick up, for some reason."

"Maybe it's thanks to you, Cagalli," Andrew suggested, grinning. Cagalli blushed, trying to think of something to say. She didn't like being complimented. It made her flustered.

"Anyways, back to work. I'll be in my office if there's a problem," Mu said. Andrew mentioned that he'd be in the kitchen and to call if there was a problem. That left Cagalli alone.

She turned on the radio to her favorite station, and proceeded to hum along absently as she cleaned the counter. Not that it was dirty or anything. She just needed something to do so she would look busy.

She looked up when the door chimed, and gasped. It was Athrun. He was out of breath, and it looked like he had run here.

"Hey Cagalli," he breathed, approaching the counter.



"H-hey," she replied, smiling, "Look, sorry about yesterday. I don't know what was up with Yuna."

"Oh, don't worry about it," Athrun said, returning the smile, "As I recall, that guy never liked me."

Cagalli was confused, and then clued in when she recalled some of their earlier meetings. She'd never really bothered to formally introduce them.

"Still, I'm sorry. Can I get you something? You look tired."

"It's alright. I just ran here from my house. I'm on my study break," Athrun said, pulling something out of his pocket. "I have two movie passes for tomorrow night, and I was wondering if you wanted to go. I thought it could be like old times."

Cagalli grinned.

"I'd love to go. I haven't been to a movie in ages. I haven't been anywhere in ages. School and work have kind of killed my social life."

"Such is the fate of us all," Athrun sighed. "This will be my first time going father than work and school in months."

"Wait…you go to Aprillius?" Cagalli said, surprised.

"Yeah. Why?"

"I go there too. I can't believe this. Talk about a small world."

"No kidding. I should have guessed when you said you lived in residence. What are you taking?"

"Arts. You?"

"Figured. Same, but I'm trying to get into business."

"Neat. Planning on taking over your father?"

"That's the plan. Anyways, I better go. I'll pick you up tomorrow after work," Athrun smiled. "You pick the movie we go to, as long as it's not a mushy-romantic one."

"You really think I'd choose one of those? C'mon Athrun. The last movie I saw was "Night of the Ninjas: Five."

"A classic. Especially the fight at the end." He left the store with a wave.

Cagalli waved back. And then it hit her. She had been so caught up in the nostalgia, and the conversation that it hadn't occurred to her. Athrun had asked her out on a date.

* * *

**A/N:** I don't make excuses. It's my story and I do what I want. But this time is an exception. I promise that something interesting will happen in the next chapter. Which will hopefull make it up here by the end of the summer. That is my goal. Hold me to this, please.

I've been having muse-issues and writing-issues and self-confidence-issues, as well as learning of several new fandoms which kind of took over. But then I got this idea and wanted to update.

This is a one time only thing. Sorry for the delay. Thanks for your patience.

See first chapter for review speel.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Gundam Seed. Night of the Ninjas is entirely fictional.

Cagalli returned home that day in a much better mood than when she had left. She wasn't sure why she was in such a good mood though. It was just a movie that she was going to. Not even a date. She and Athrun were going as friends. Athrun had even said that he wanted it to be "just like old times". Perhaps it was the prospect of going out into the social world once again, and actually having some semblance of a life. Yeah, that was probably it.

She opened the door on an empty apartment. There was a note on the counter from Lacus saying that she would not be home till later, as she had to meet Meer to talk about the duet. Cagalli sighed; annoyed that she would have to keep her news to herself for a little while. It was one of those times where you just wanted to tell the world. She was rejoining it at last. With an old friend.

Putting some pasta on to boil, Cagalli shifted papers around until she found what she was looking for. The entertainment section of the newspaper. This would give her a good idea of what was playing at the theatres. Having been so swamped, there were probably dozens of movies that she'd missed. Spreading the newspaper out on the coffee table, she leafed through the section. She briefly skimmed a few articles detailing the scandals of the week, what was up in the pop culture world and what was not, who was acting in what movie. The usual sort of thing.

She paused at the promotional picture for one movie, bearing the daring tagline of "Save the Cheerleader. Save the World." It looked interesting, but alas, wasn't coming out for another week. She glanced over a few more, nothing catching her eye until she saw it. How could she have forgotten the release date for Night of the Ninjas: Six. With the decision made, she confidently went back to making her supper.

Halfway through her meal, the phone rang. Cagalli swallowed, and picked up the phone, answering rather cheerfully. Her mood was dampened slightly, when she learned it was Yuna on the other line.

"Sorry Yuna. I actually have plans for tomorrow night. I'm going to a movie with a friend…maybe some other time?...Yeah alright. I can probably do dinner the day after tomorrow. I'll see you then. Bye."

"Yuna?" Lacus asked, standing at the door.

"How could you tell?"

"You always sigh like that whenever you get off the phone with him," Lacus smiled, coming in and helping herself to some of Cagalli's pasta.

"Well, yeah. It's Yuna. Anyways, guess what happened to me today."

"Something exciting because you're willing to talk about it."

"Athrun asked me to a movie."

"Seriously. That's great. Wait, what kind of ask? Like a "date" date, or a "just friends" date?"

"A "just friends" date. But it's exciting. I'm actually getting out into the world again."

"That is actually very exciting. What are you going to go see?"

"Probably Night of the Ninjas: Six. He didn't want a stupid romance film."

"Fair enough. What did Yuna want?"

"He wanted to go out for dinner. I agreed to it the next night, but I'm not looking forward to it."

"You're just taking every opportunity to get out, aren't you?" Lacus smiled. Cagalli nodded. Despite her impending date with Yuna, tomorrow was going to be fun, and she was determined to not loose her good mood.

* * *

Cagalli was antsy all through her shift the next day. She kept looking at the door, wondering if Athrun was going to rush in again. Knowing him, he was probably going to be early. He was always punctual like that. After about fifteen minutes had passed, feeling more like an hour, Cagalli forced herself to concentrate on other things; otherwise the day was just going to crawl by. It was rather pathetic that she was getting this excited about going to a movie. Was her life really that sad? Maybe she really was happy about going on a date with Athrun.

But she was over that relationship. They'd just drifted apart after junior high, and that was fine with Cagalli. She had survived. There was no need for a relationship at this point in her life. She was too busy trying to get her degree. A boyfriend would just make things more difficult. Still, hanging out with him had been fun, and he was still kind of cute. Well, she'd just see how things went tonight before she decided what to do.

The day crawled by. Even with Cagalli's attempts to not pay attention to the time, the end of her shift, five' o'clock, came far too slowly. She felt ready to kill something. In addition to the slow passage of time, it had been a slow day in general. Next time she was bringing a book or something. Not the most professional thing to do, but she needed something during the long stretches of no customers, and there were only so many times you could clean the counter. Right now, you could see your face in it quite clearly.

When the door chime went off, she looked up, perhaps a little too quickly, and saw Athrun standing there.

"Hey," he said, "Ready to go?"

Cagalli nodded. Athrun hadn't commented on anything, so he must not have noticed. She ran into the kitchen to tell Andrew what was up. Mu had taken off several hours earlier, and neither of them expected him to come back.

"I'm off now, Andrew, so you might want to close up," she said, hanging up her apron and grabbing her jacket.

"Alright. I'll do that. Have fun on your date, Cagalli," Andrew said; putting the finishing touches on his coffee can pyramid. Normally he'd be cleaning the kitchen. Slow days affected everyone.

"It's not a date."

"You're going out with a guy to a movie. That generally screams date."

"He's just a friend," Cagalli said, rather defensively. Andrew shrugged.

"Whatever. Don't worry about the till or anything. I'll take care of it."

"Thanks. See you later."

Cagalli headed back to the door, where Athrun was waiting.

"Let's go," she said. Athrun nodded, and held the door open for her. Cagalli sighed. Always trying to be a gentleman, that Athrun.

"So, what movie are we going to?" he asked, turning up the block. "Sorry. I don't have a car, so we'll have to walk."

"That's fine. I usually walk everyone anyways. And I thought that we'd go see Night of the Ninjas: Six." Cagalli said, pulling the conversation back to the movie. She didn't want to admit that she didn't have her driver's license yet, much less her learners.

"Six is out? Man, I can't believe I missed that. Normally I'm up on these things."

"Same here. Looking through the newspaper was extremely uplifting. I'd missed so much stuff, seriously," Cagalli sighed. Athrun grinned.

"So what has been happening? You're lucky you had the time to look at a newspaper."

Cagalli grinned, and began a long rant as to what was happening in the entertainment world, based on what she had read. Athrun listened intently, interrupting every so often to get clarification or to propose a theory on why something had happened. Cagalli couldn't remember the last time she had laughed so hard. She had forgotten that Athrun could be funny sometimes. Most times, he was just really quiet and serious, and that tended to get on her nerves.

* * *

In what seemed like no time at all, they made it to the theatre, headed inside, and got their tickets. Cagalli fished in her pocket for a moment before producing her wallet.

"I'll buy the popcorn," she said, sliding into the concession line. Athrun opened his mouth to protest, but Cagalli stopped him. "This is to pay you back for the calamine lotion. Besides, we used your passes."

"Fine," Athrun replied, noting the look in Cagalli's eyes. When she got like this, there was no stopping her, and she would kill him if he even tried. She was stubborn like that sometimes. He sighed, and looked absently around the area. It was really crowded tonight, as if a movie was premiering. What, he had no idea. He paused for a moment.

"Hey Cagalli, isn't that your boss?" he asked, pointing over a theatre with people spilling out of it. Obviously a movie had just gotten out. Cagalli glanced over to where Athrun was pointing.

"So that's where he went," She said, almost indignantly. Indeed, Mu was coming out of the theatre, his arm around a stern-looking brunette. "He is so busted."

"I will be your witness if you need one," Athrun replied, smiling.

* * *

They found seats rather easily. Cagalli was literally bouncing up and down in her chair. She was surprised that she was this excited for the movie.

"What's gotten into you?" Athrun asked, confused.

"I don't know. I'm just really excited to see it. I love the Night of the Ninjas series, but I didn't think I loved it this much."

"Remember that one Halloween that we dressed up like them?"

"Yes. I had such an awesome costume, and the teacher confiscated Dearka's plastic throwing star?"

"Ha-ha, I remember. I had the foresight to make foam ones. I think I still have them somewhere."

"Really? That's hilarious, but then, you rarely throw anything out."

"Neither do you. Remember that conversation we had about if we ever lived together?"

"Oh yeah. We pretty much agreed that we'd never throw anything out, and then never be able to leave because we'd be up to our waists in papers and books and video games and movies…"

"And old pizza boxes and take out Chinese. But we'd know where everything was."

"Of course. It was organized chaos."

There was a slight silence before the two of them burst out laughing. Neither could believe that they still remembered that conversation, in almost full detail. It had just been one of those idle moments between classes, nothing serious. The type of conversations that you had between friends.

The movie started, and their interest drifted towards the screen. During an unexpected explosion, Cagalli had grabbed onto Athrun's arm, and Athrun was glad for the darkness of the theatre, so that Cagalli wouldn't see him blush. Especially during one of the more romantic bits. He'd missed her. He really had. Everything about this just felt right, and he was so happy to have found her again.

* * *

They walked home from the movie rather animatedly, acting out various parts of the film, and commenting on the size of some of the explosions. The conversation didn't even pause as they bought some ice cream from a nearby stall (Athrun's turn to pay), and continued long into the night. It finally wound down as they reached Cagalli's residence building.

"Thanks for everything, Athrun. I had a really great time, and it was nice to get back out into the world again."

"I agree. I'm glad we got to do this, Cagalli. We should definitely meet on campus sometime."

"Totally. I'll email you my schedule."

"Wait, when'd you get that? I never gave it to you.."

"I got it from Lacus. She is Kira's girlfriend, after all. Plus it hasn't changed from junior high."

"I've been busy. Anyways, it's getting late. I better head home," Athrun said, turning to go. Cagalli grabbed onto his arm.

"Let's do this again. Soon. I've…I've missed you, Athrun. Really."

"I've missed you to," Athrun said, leaning down and kissing her lightly on the lips. Cagalli blushed, pulling away rather quickly. Athrun started to laugh. He'd managed to embarrass Cagalli. She glared at him when she realized it.

"Goodnight," she said, trying to sound annoyed and failing.

"Goodnight," Athrun replied, turning to leave. She watched Athrun walk away into the night, turning once to wave goodbye, and then fading into the distance. She smiled. He was going to pay for that.

* * *

Yuna was furious. He had gone to Cagalli's to personally tell her his plans for dinner the next night, and upon learning that she was not home, had resolved to wait for her the lobby. But as he stepped off the elevator what should he see, but that jerk Athrun kissing his lovely Cagalli. He had retreated to the men's washroom before being noticed, and was now in the process of angrily pulling the toilet paper off the roll. Something had to be done about this. Cagalli was his. All the arrangements had practically been made when they were kids. Athrun had to be removed. Somehow.

* * *

**A/N:** I hope that was more interesting than the last chapter. Thanks for your patience. This will be the last chapter for awhile since I am starting school, but something may pop up in the school year. When? Who knows? When I feel like it. LIke usual.

Review stuff is the same as the last couple chapters. Thanks for reading.


End file.
